We had a guest speaker today.* He was enthusiastic, charming, and inspiring, and the best part was that he is still incredibly passionate about the cause of education even after some 50 years as an nationally known activist and educator.
He told us about this skit, which is hilarious (I can't embed, but I encourage you to watch).
He brought up this skit because we asked him about how new teachers can maintain their idealism. He made a very important point--that there is a difference between naivete and idealism, and he encouraged us to deliberately articulate our ideals and strive to maintain our integrity with regard to them.
I had more to say on this subject but I don't have time! I'm just going to put this post out there so I can remember to think about it.
Updated 11/17/12: It was Bill Ayers.
